From Upside Down to Upside Right
by ChelzToddBrooke
Summary: A friend's death flips Spencer Reid's life upside down...how will he handle the changes?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is a little OOC by means of dialouge, but other than that I think it's ok...I wrote this a couple years ago, but just started a rewrite... I hope you enjoy it!**

**I own nothing**

She walked into the bullpen, pressed her hands into the wood of his desk and leaned in for a quick kiss with her fiance.

"Hey babe, you sticking around for awhile?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, I just got off work. I was planning to stay until you finish your paperwork, if you'll let me." Delani said as she batted her eye lashes. Spencer smiled at her. She usually came by in the evenings when she knew they were having downtime at the BAU. As long as Reid got his work done, Hotch didn't mind.

"Go on, Emily is gone for the night, you can have her desk," he said as he motioned towards the desk across from his. Delani skipped in the direction he pointed.

"Lucky bastard," Derek Morgan jested.

"She's great isn't she?" Spencer beamed. Morgan gave him a look of agreement. Spencer had one file left to finish and he hadn t seen his fiance in awhile. He looked up from his work and peer at Emily's desk. He couldn't see her from where he was sitting. He approached the desk. A smile crept across his face as he found her balled up in the rolling chair, fast asleep.

"She's out cold," Morgan commented from over Spencer's left shoulder.

"Yeah, she worked all day," Spencer whispered.

"Ya know what, you only have one file left, I m pretty sure I've got this covered. Why don't you take her home? Morgan offered.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that," Spencer replied as he scooped Delani out of the chair. Although he may look scrawny, he was actually very strong. He placed her sleeping body in the front seat of his black SUV and went to move her Focus from the visitor spot to the parking garage. Once at the apartment, he removed her shoes and socks and slid her small form under the covers. He then readied himself for bed and joined her.

Delani woke up to find herself snuggled into Spencer s chest, his right arm draped across her stomach. She peered at the clock on the nightstand, 4:38 am.

"I must have fallen asleep at the office," she thought to herself. Delani pulled her attention back to the arm covering her body. She ran her fingers across the soft skin and fine hair on his forearm. Her light touches on his arm, brought Spencer to consciousness.

"Lani, sweetie, go back to sleep, it's too early to be up," he whispered gently. As his sentence finished, the phone echoed painfully through the apartment.

"I guess not," Delani giggled. She moved to get the phone.

"No, I ll get it, you stay here," Spencer countered, one arm hindering her movement.

"I think it's on the counter," Delani called after her fiance as he stumbled in the dark. Spencer nodded and subconsciously rubbed his back.

Spencer returned and found Delani fast asleep. He shook her vigorously. She awoke with a start and was met with an expression that would have led anyone to believe Spencer had seen a ghost in the kitchen.

"Spencer, honey, what's wrong? Who was on the phone?" Delani needed answers; he was fine when he left her moments before.

"That was Molly, uh Molly, ah, what the hell does it matter what her last name is, uh she said Cole collapsed when he got into work this morning and the doctors say he has a substantial brain hemorrhage and doesn't have much time. I have to fly to Las Vegas, immediately," he disclosed.

"Oh Spence, Delani gasped as she took his hands in hers.

"I have to go Delani, we need to go get your car and then I need to get plane tickets and a hotel room and call my work and..." Delani interrupted his rant with a kiss. His expression went from scared to shocked and dripped into frustration.

"Spencer, I know, but you need to calm down, things are going to get crazy if you rush. Why don't you shower and get packed and I'll book your reservations," she said softly. Spencer nodded and stared at her for a moment. His heart ached as he saw the hurt in her eyes. It was an unexplainable hurt, he was at a loss as to what caused it, but he still didn't like its presence. Spencer so badly wanted to comfort his fiance but Cole needed him now more than ever.


	2. Chapter 2

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, as she looked at the caller ID, she relaxed a little bit. Delani had not heard from Spencer since he landed in Las Vegas nearly a week earlier.

"Hey baby, what's up?" Delani did her best to sound chipper and hide her worry.

"Hey, sorry I haven't called, things have been crazy around here," his pain was evident in his voice.

"Spencer, are you ok?" Delani asked soberly.

"Uh yeah, Cole died last night; the aneurysm finally got the best of him," Spencer told her.

"Spencer, I'm so sorry, did he even wake up?" she asked.

"No, he d been in a coma all week, but uh yeah, can you come out here?" Spencer pleaded.

"Yeah, I would have come for the funeral anyway," Delani assured him.

"Well, I have some big news, do you want it now or when you get here?" He questioned.

"I guess give it to me now," Delani chose bravely.

"Well, ya know, uhh, since I m her godfather, in his will, Cole named me to be Francesca's guardian," Spencer let on. Delani gasped and didn't realize before she could hide it. Spencer made a noise of disapproval.

"Wouldn't he want her with siblings or family or something like that?" Delani wasn't handling the news very well.

"Cole was an only child and both his parents are dead and he was not in contact with any of the rest of his family so it is either me or she goes to foster care," Spencer said sadly.

"Well I guess you have a big decision to make," Delani picked her words carefully, trying to be supportive.

"Yeah, and well, never mind, I ll just wait until you get here," Spencer began then cut himself off.

"Spencer, tell me," Delani begged.

"No sweetie, I have to show you something, it will have to wait until you get here," he whispered. Delani could tell he was defeated and exhausted, so she let it go.

"Lani, I love you, but I gotta run, let me know when your flight gets in," Spencer added suddenly.

"Uh, ok, I love you too, take care of yourself Spencer," Delani instructed and ended the call.


	3. Chapter 3

8: 34 pm, he was early. His fiancé's flight didn't land for another ten minutes. The anticipation was killing him. Spencer nervously checked his watch; Molly asked to be home at 9:30 since she had to get up early for work the next morning. Part of Spencer wished someone could keep Franny for the whole night and not just while he was at the airport; he needed time to reacquaint himself with Delani. She was already freaking out and it wasn't going to help that the baby was currently in his possession. He looked up to find Delani coming around the corner. His mouth, rebelling against his mood, curved up into a smile.

"Spencer!" Delani gasped. He stood, leaning against the wall in a worn pair of jeans and a classic Spencer Reid button up shirt sweater vest combo. He approached her and pulled her into his arms. He held her to his chest, wishing he never had to let go. Delani pulled back and looked up at his face. He looked exhausted, dark circles hung under his eyes, the eyes that still held so much sadness.

"I'm glad you're here," he whispered. Delani nodded and pulled him into another hug. Spencer kissed her hair. They walked hand in hand out to the rental car.

As she tossed her carry on into the backseat, Delani couldn't help but notice the car seat attachment. She shrugged it off and climbed in the passenger seat. The ride started out silent; Spencer reached over and took her hand in his.

"I uh, well, I've been staying at Cole's house with Francesca, I still have my hotel room, if you'd rather stay there, but I have to stay at Cole's," Spencer stated slowly. Delani sent him a bewildered look.

"You already decided to keep her?" she questioned a little harsher than she intended.

"No, no, I still don't know what to do. Everyone around here has lives, there is no one to take care of her, so I was the default choice." Spencer explained. Delani rubbed her face with her free hand.

"Take me to Cole's house," she sighed.

"Lani, you don't have to do that, I would completely understand if you just wanted to stay at the hotel," Spencer replied.

"Spencer, I want to, I haven't been the most supportive through this, and I haven't seen you in a week and I want to be with you, I just want to be next to you," Delani added. Spencer exhaled deeply and leaned over to place a sweet kiss behind her left ear.

"Thank you," he murmured.

The couple arrived at the house around 9:15 pm and were greeted by a rather exuberant, Molly.

"Hey Mol, this is my fiancé, Delani. How was Franny?" Spencer questioned as he walked into the living room.

"Delani, it's very nice to meet you, you are a very lucky girl to have a catch like this handsome young gentleman," Molly began, reaching out for a handshake with Delani. Delani blushed at her statement. "And Spencer, Fran was fine, she went straight to sleep after a warm cup of milk, and I managed to get caught up on all the work I have been neglecting this week," she said in a strictly business tone.

"I'm glad you got caught up, and I really appreciate you helping out," Spencer said, handing the woman a twenty.

"Spencer, you don't need to pay me, Cole was my friend too, I seriously don't mind," Molly said, trying to give him the money.

"Just keep it." Spencer replied with a halfhearted smile. Delani noticed his failed expression and gently took his hand. Molly left the couple and headed for home. Spencer gently squeezed his fiancé's hand and looked down at her.

"Uh, why don't you settle in and I'm gonna go check on Franny," Spencer suggested.

"Alright, yeah, I'll just yeah," Delani stumbled through her words. She sighed heavily as she watched the love of her life run off up the stairs. She shook her head to try and rid herself of the doubts about the fate of her and Spencer's relationship.

Spencer returned to find Delani asleep on the couch. His heart ached as he remembered finding her in Emily's chair much the same way the last night they spent together before his world turned upside down. He moved her feet so he could sit down. He took one foot in his hand and began to gently massage it. He watched as Delani pulled into a deep stretch as she awoke.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Spencer said barely above a whisper.

"No, sorry I fell asleep," Delani countered. She pulled her feet off his lap and her knees into her chest. Spencer reached over and gently stroked her cheek.

"Lani, I've missed you so much," he choked as he fought back tears. Delani knew he had so much bottled up inside him and it was killing him. She knew he was going to run himself into the ground if he wasn't careful. The look in his eyes made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. He was dealing with so much and she had no idea how to help him.

"Spencer, baby, talk to me," she begged.

"I will honey, but not tonight, you need some sleep, we can talk tomorrow. Let's just go to bed," he replied. Delani crawled into his lap and threw her arms around him. He let a few tears slip down his cheeks while her head was buried in the crook of his neck. He had no idea what he would do without her. Before pulling away, Delani left a soft kiss on the base of his neck.

"I love you," she stated simply.

"I love you, too and I'm glad you're here," he concurred as he carried her into the bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

The toddler's screams brought Delani to an angry state of consciousness in the middle of the night.

"Spennnncerrr," She groaned.

"Honey, I'm working on it, she's really fussy for some reason," he replied as he walked back into the bedroom with the uncomfortable child. Delani rolled over and stuffed her head under her pillow, hoping he would take her out of the room again. Unfortunately, that was not the last time Franny was up that night.

As Francesca acted as Spencer's alarm early the next morning, he noticed he was alone in bed. He cradled the small child in his arms and went to find his fiancé and feed the little girl. Delani was not in the guest bedroom nor on the couch as Spencer had expected. He stood at the sink and fixed Franny a cup of milk and a bag cheerios. As he peered out the window he noticed something out of place on the porch.

Before surrendering the food to the child, he slid her into her jacket and stepped onto the porch. Spencer smiled when he found Delani wrapped up in a blanket, asleep on the porch swing.

Spencer sat on the unoccupied half of the swing. He carefully reached over and pulled the thick blanket over Delani's shoulders. The child in his lap cooed, begging for the cheerios. Spencer opened the bag. Francesca dug her chubby little hands into the depth of the bag, sending cheerios everywhere.

"Franny," Spencer sighed as he flicked a cheerio off his shoulder. Franny giggled wildly, her tiny arms flailing around. Before Spencer could react, the sippy cup toppled off the swing and began to roll.

"I've got it," a tired voice erupted from under the blanket as an arm poked out and grabbed the rolling cup. Delani half stretched and sat up. Francesca reached for the cup. "There you go booger," she said with a slight laugh.

"Sorry, I know it's early," Spencer apologized.

"You're fine. I didn't want to be out on the porch all day," Delani yawned.

"About that, can you tell me why you are out here on the porch?" Spencer wondered.

"Well, I kept getting woke up, then you kept getting frustrated because I kept getting woke up, so I decided it was best if I just left," Delani explained.

"Honey, there is a guest bedroom and at least four couches in the house," Spencer crooned as he set a black cherry strand of hair behind her ear.

"I know, but somehow I ended up out here," Delani responded pulling the blanket around her. The August morning was chilly, even in Las Vegas. The sun wasn't up enough yet to warm the sun. She noticed Spencer was only in cotton pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"Baby, aren't you cold?" she often than not, he was. She believed a little meat on his bones would help that. Spencer reached up and pushed his own sandy brown locks out of his face.

"No, not really, Fran produces a lot of heat," he said with a shrug. Delani set her eyes on the toddler.

"She looks exactly like Cole," she stated as she brushed cheerio crumbs off Francesca's cheeks.

"Yeah, it'd be hard to prove she's Abbi's," Spencer agreed. He met Delani's chestnut brown eyes. "Are you cold?" he whispered. She nodded. "Let's go inside," he suggested.

Once inside, Spencer stood Francesca on the counter and removed her jacket. He filled her cup and then set her in the playpen. He found Delani reading something at the counter. Spencer approached her and gently rubbed her shoulders, reading what she had in her hands.

Spencer~

If you're reading this, something has happened to me so I couldn't raise my beautiful daughter and she was put into your care. I know you to be the one to step up and accept the daunting responsibility. However, I understand I am asking you more than a big favor here and I realize you have your own life.( A very important life at the FBI at that) At the point that this sad news has come to you, a child might not fit into that life, but I have the confidence you will make sure Francesca has a proper upbringing. Without you, Francesca is left to social services. If, for whatever reason you find it best if she ended up there, I can't blame you for that. This is a huge undertaking. Being her father, I only want what's best for my child and I tend to believe that social services is not the answer. I'd much rather her be in your care. In my opinion, (whatever that may mean now that you're reading this letter) you are what is best to guide her through her childhood, to her teenage years, and on into her early adulthood. Again, if you are reading this, you are faced with the decision of whether or not to accept custody of my daughter. If you do me this humongous favor, I have made sure I've left enough money to see her through college. Spencer, there was never a time I didn't trust you with my own life, and I have no problem trusting you with my daughter's. I wish you the best of luck with your decision.

~ Cole

P.S. Live every day to its fullest, tell everyone you love that you love them, you really never know…

"He's always had a way with words," Delani sobbed.

"Yeah," Spencer croaked "that was in with his will, it makes this decision pretty clean cut," he finished.

"Spencer! What about us? We have a relationship to think about, a wedding to plan," Delani gasped.

"Delani, she is a child, she has no one. How do you expect me to walk away and leave my best friend's baby in foster care? Especially after he begged me not to!" Spencer growled. Spencer already knew what it was like to grow up without a father and with a mother who was mentally absent most of the time, but at least she was there for him. He couldn't imagine having no one, and he just couldn't do that to this little girl.

"Cole is dead, he'll never know!" Delani jabbed.

"How can you say that? He was my best friend and now he's trusting me with the life of his daughter, even if he's dead, I can't let him down,"Spencer replied firmly.

"Spencer, you've already made up your decision. I don't know why you wanted me to come out here!" Delani yelled.

"I wanted some support," Spencer's voice rose with his frustration. The loud voice scared Francesca. A terrified scream interrupted the fight. Spencer sent Delani a heated look and turned towards the playpen "Sweetie, it's ok," Spencer consoled the child as he lifted her into his arms.

"Dada home?" She asked. Spencer fought back his tears

"No, baby," he whispered.

"Dada work?" The little girl was persistent.

"No, Daddy's gone," Spencer sighed. The little girl nodded, like she was satisfied with that answer. Spencer carried her into the depths of the house, leaving Delani in his wake.

The last part of Barney he remembered was the opening song. A sharp elbow to the stomach brought him back to the show. He looked down to see Franny snuggling into his side, her snake green eyes glued to the tube. He gently brushed her fine curls with his hand. He turned his attention back to the purple dinosaur, figuring he'd be asleep again soon.

Much to his surprise, Spencer stayed conscious through the remainder of the program, he couldn't say the same for Francesca. As he pondered how to move the child without waking her, Delani returned from running errands. Spencer pretended not to notice as he removed Franny from the couch. The girl made a noise of disapproval.

"Shh, it's ok," Spencer crooned. Francesca settled into his arms.

Once sure she was comfortable in her bed, Spencer turned to leave the room. He nearly fell over as he smashed into Delani.

"What are you doing?" he scolded at a whisper.

"Can we talk?" her voice was quiet and ashamed. She held out her hand for Spencer. He reluctantly took it an allowed her to lead him into the living room. She sat him on the couch and began pacing the room. "I don't know what I was thinking earlier. I was completely out of line. You have every right to be mad at me," she let out.

"Delani, come here," Spencer motioned her to him. She approached him with a sulking posture. "I'm not mad, I'm just frustrated. Not really with you, but just frustrated in general. I understand that we have both reached our limits, but I need you to understand that this is a big deal for me. I have to do this for Cole. It killed him when I moved away and I've never forgiven myself for that. I can't imagine what it would do to me if I let his only daughter go to the state," Spencer explained.

"If you need to do this, then you do this. Spencer this is truly your decision. I know I'm your fiancé but my opinion shouldn't be a factor in this. You are her godfather, not me. I should have realized that sooner, I'm sorry," Delani said supportively. Spencer nodded. He rubbed his tired eyes. The week without a full night's sleep was wearing on him. "Honey, you're exhausted," Delani noted, brushing his hair out of his face. Spencer stretched and put his hands behind his head.

"I don't think I've slept since I got here," Spencer confessed.

"That is why, tonight, you mister, are going to the hotel and I am staying with Francesca," Delani suggested. Spencer cocked an eyebrow.

"Uh, I don't know,"he said hesitantly.

"Spencer, you are going to run yourself into the ground. You need to rest. You have a big week a head of you, just take one night off," Delani added.

"You're going to watch her?" He asked.

"Yes, I have babysat for kids Franny's age many times. We will be fine," Delani assured him. Spencer sighed.

"Sounds good to me," he gave in. A smile crept across Delani's face. She snuggled into Spencer's chest. "Now would be a great time for a nap," he added closing his eyes. Delani leaned up and left a kiss on his lips. Spencer popped one eye open to look at her. His mouth twitched up into a smile.

"I've missed you, Spencer," She said, kissing him again.

"I missed you too, Lani. This week has been hell. There are times that I wish I were still back at the apartment, getting on with my life with you. Things are so upside down right now," He added, pulling her into his lap. He dipped his head to kiss her. She jammed her fingers into his hair and pulled his face to her, extending the kiss.

"Things will get better Spencer, I promise," Delani promised.

Tensions were lower as Delani drove Spencer to the hotel. On the ride over, Spencer briefed Delani on the locations of the items Franny would need during his night away.

"Alright, this is my stop!" Spencer said as he climbed out of the rental car. He opened the backseat and pulled Franny out of her car seat. "You be a good girl sweetie, I'll be back tomorrow," he said in an odd voice as he attacked the child with kisses. The little girl giggled. He placed her back in her seat and buckled her in. Delani had come around the car and was standing next to Spencer.

"Have a good night baby, when do you need to be retrieved tomorrow?" She asked.

"I don't have anything until early evening," he said. He leaned in and kissed her. "Thanks Lani," he said as he sent her on her way.

It was just past eight and Spencer wasn't quite ready to go to bed. He walked through the small living room and stretched his lanky, tired body out on the comfortable bed. He clicked the TV on and watched some nonsense. Around nine, he slid between the sheets and gave way to his exhaustion.

"You have been fussy all night, girlie," Delani cooed as she lifted Francesca out of her bed. She set her in her highchair and poured some cheerios on the tray in front of her. The little girl attacked the cereal only to let out a painful cry. "Franny, sweetie, what's wrong?" Delani crooned. As the little girl cried, Delani noticed a new tooth breaking through her gums. "Aww, sweetie, you're teething," Delani added. She lifted her from the highchair and carried her into the bathroom to scour the medicine cabinet. "Well, there's nothing in here to help you, so we'll have to get you something when we go get Spencer," Delani said, turning to the girl.

"Benser?" the little girl asked.

"Yeah, Spencer," Delani repeated. She carried her back to the kitchen and attempted breakfast again, this time with some yogurt. The child ate the fruity dairy product happily.

The light from the window fell across the rumpled covers. Spencer's eyes slowly opened and checked the time. It was somewhere between nine and ten.

"I need to call and check on Franny," he said to the empty room. He rolled over and pulled the covers over him, falling back to sleep before he had a chance to even think about finding a phone.

Around three, Delani packed up Francesca and left for the hotel. She knocked once, getting no reply. She tried a few more times, still getting nothing. From there she pulled out her key and opened the door. Delani settled Franny on the couch and clicked on PBS. She pushed open the bedroom door to check on Spencer. He was buried in the white blankets. She approached the bed and observed his sleeping form. She decided to let him sleep and left for the other room of the suite. In ten minutes time, Spencer appeared in the doorway. He stood in only a pair of pajama pants with his chest bare and his hair sticking out in odd directions from his head. Delani rose from the couch and nibbled on her bottom lip. He approached her and pulled her to him. She brushed his tussled hair out of his face. Brown eyes met hazel mere seconds before their lips met in an intense passionate kiss.

"Did you sleep good?" she panted when they broke away.

"Yes, thank you," he replied wrapping her in a strong hug.

"Benser!" Franny squealed, finally noticing the man in the room. Spencer gasped, releasing Delani and grabbing the child.

"What was that sweetie?" Spencer questioned.

"Benser!" She squealed again.

"That's right!" he laughed, cuddling her into his chest. Delani had heard the child use his name previously, but she didn't want to ruin this moment for Spencer. "Well ladies," Spencer began, gently tickling Francesca. The girl let out a giggle. "I am going to shower," he announced.

He stood in the bedroom, in front of the mirror, buttoning his shirt. Delani watched from the doorway. She walked up and slid her body around his, slipping a hand in between his bare chest and his white striped shirt. He reached around and squeezed her gently, only to let her go and begin to roll up his sleeves.

"I love it when you do that," Delani whispered. A smile grew across Spencer's face, he cocked eyebrow at her. A slight blush grew into her cheeks. "I like your muscular forearms," she added. Spencer just shook his head and let out a light laugh. He finished his final roll on his left arm and shook his arms to settle the sleeves.

"Well, now I have to go plan a funeral," he sighed. Delani felt the black cloud fall over them again. She nodded and slinked out of the room. Spencer gathered his things and soon followed her. "Lani, do you mind watching Fran while I take care of this stuff?" he asked cautiously. She shook her head.

"No babe, of course not." she answered.

"Alright, I appreciate that more than you know. So I'll drop you guys back at the house and then I'll be on my way," Spencer spoke in a strictly business tone.

"Um, we need to stop at a drug store to get some Ora-gel for Francesca, she's teething," Delani informed him.

"She's what? Teething, isn't she a little old for that? And what's Ora-gel? What's it going to do to her?" His voice wavered with slight concern.

"Spencer, honey relax, it's nothing. She still has a few teeth coming in, it's kinda a painful process for a toddler. Ora-gel will numb her gums and bring her some comfort," Delani explained. Spencer only grunted in response. On the way back to the house, he stopped to get the Ora-gel for the little girl. He dropped his girls off, and then headed on the meet with the funeral director.


	5. Chapter 5

The funeral went as well as funerals do. Friends gathered to share their grief and condolences and mourn the loss of their comrade. The deceased's darling daughter was passed through the crowd during the entire event. Spencer struggled through, constantly battling his shy tendencies. Many were disappointed by the news of Spencer not planning on staying in Las Vegas with Francesca, but instead moving her back to Virgina with him. However, he informed everyone that his door was always open to visitors and he would not turn down an invitation if someone wanted him to visit with the child.

Spencer sat on the couch, still clad in his black suit, staring into nothingness.

"You ok, Spencer?" Delani asked. He only nodded. She knew he had gone numb. At the moment, he was incapable of doing anything but sit there and stare. Her heart ached for him, but at this point he had to pull himself out of it, there was nothing left for her to do but wait until he was ready to talk. "I leave in the morning," she added finally. Spencer nodded again. He stood and walked towards her.

"Thank you for everything. Thank you for helping with Franny, not only getting her ready for the funeral, but also for helping out all week," he said in a low voice. He gently kissed her.

"Its really not a big deal," Delani replied modestly. She set her hands on his tie, and gently loosened it. After the tie was removed she helped him with his jacket and started on the buttons of his shirt. She had his shirt un-tucked and all but on the floor before he met her eyes. "Spencer, you're exhausted honey. Go, get in bed and get some rest. I'll get Francesca to sleep and join you," she suggested finally. Spencer slumped his way into the bedroom.

The next morning, Spencer awoke feeling less of the tension he felt the day before. He noticed, if Delani had ever joined him, she had left the bed before he woke up. He pulled his body out of bed and meandered into the rest of the house.

"Hey Lani," he yawned as he watched her stack her luggage by the front door.

"Hey baby," she said as she walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "We have to go to the airport in about an hour," she mentioned.

"Oh, that's right you leave today," Spencer murmured, rubbing his face. He turned towards the bedroom and stayed out of sight until it was time to leave for the airport.

"Spencer, you ready?" Delani called.

"Yes," he called in return as he entered the living room. Delani stood there, holding Francesca. Spencer took the girl from her and proceeded to the car.

When they arrived at the airport, Franny was fussy because she dropped her cup of juice somewhere in the backseat. Spencer dug around trying to find it. Delani stood by, impatiently watching.

"Spencer, we have to go. I'm never going to make it through security," she complained.

"Just…a sec," He mumbled, still digging. She sighed heavily. He stood up from the car and turned to look at her. "Ya know what, we don't need it," he said finally and plucked Franny from her seat. The little girl screamed all through Delani's check in and all the way to security. Spencer was thoroughly frustrated and Delani was thoroughly pissed. "I'm sorry," Spencer sighed, ashamed.

"Don't be" Delani said curtly.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye," Spencer assumed. He set the angry child at his feet. She clung to his leg and continued to sob. "Bye Lani," he whispered.

"Bye Spencer," she said, rather short.

"I shouldn't be much longer than a week. I'll see you when I get home?" It was more of a question that a statement.

"Uh, yeah, I gotta go," her answer was a little uncertain. Spencer didn't catch it.

"I love you," he added.

"Yeah, you too," she said almost as an afterthought as she turned to walk through security. Spencer shrugged, scooped up the frantic child at his feet and left the airport.

"I know," he consoled the child.

Delani sat on the plane, unsure of what to do next. She spent the flight thinking about the past week.

Through the next week, Spencer packed and shipped all of Franny's things and made all arrangements that needed to be made before he returned home. Much to his luck, the flight home went smoothly, with Francesca sleeping nearly the entire time.


	6. Chapter 6

Once back in town, Spencer ran to the store to pick up food and other essentials until Francesca's stuff arrived. He walked into his apartment and settled Franny on the couch. Something seemed different, not quite right. He walked into his bedroom and noticed half the stuff was missing, half the drawers were empty, half the closet sat vacant. His chest tightened. He suddenly knew what was different. Spencer checked the time. Francesca would be hungry soon. He decided to piece together her new highchair. When he was finished he set the little girl in it and began to sort through the groceries. Then he saw it, sitting on the counter. A glitter caught his eye. The diamond. He sighed deeply and picked up the note.

_I can't do this, sorry_

_ ~Delani_

Spencer balled up the paper and tossed it into the trash. He slid the ring into his pocket. He turned his attention to the small child cooing happily in her highchair.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, how about dinner?" he spoke to the little girl. Francesca giggled and beat her hands on the tray in front of her. Spencer laughed at her actions. He dug through the bags of groceries until he found a Gerber graduates meal.

While Francesca ate, Spencer tended to his blinking answering machine. There were numerous messages from his friend and co-worker Jennifer Jareau. he figured she was the one voted to call and get the details of his leave of absence, since he only told Hotch it was a family emergency.

_Spence, it's JJ. I got your email about Cole. I'm so sorry I know he was one of your good friends. Call me when you get this…Spence, it's your JJ again, I still haven't heard from you, call me…Spence, it's been nearly two weeks and you still haven't called, I'm worried. If I don't hear from you soon, I'm going to have Garcia put a trace on you._

Spencer pressed the delete button and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" The young women's voice answered.

"JJ, it's Spence," Spencer replied.

"Spence, I was so worried about you!" JJ cried.

"I know, I'm sorry, I've been stuck in Las Vegas. I just got home today," Spencer explained.

"I'm just glad you're safe," his friend added.

"Yeah, I have some news, uh hold on," Spencer's attention was pulled away from the phone call. "Sweetie, no, no, don't play with the peas. Honey here, I'll help you," JJ heard him say.

"Spence, what's going on?" JJ tired to get his attention again.

"Sorry, we were having and issue with dinner," Spencer stated.

"Who is we, Delani?" his friend was rather confused.

"No, um, that's my news. You know I was Francesca's godfather, so now, I have full custody of her," Spencer informed.

"I'm so proud of you," JJ gasped, knowing now her and Will had made the right decision naming Spencer the godfather of thier son Henry.

"Yeah, that's wonderful, but now I have this little girl to take care of and I really don't know how to do that," Spencer sighed.

"Well, you have Delani, don't you?" JJ asked.

"I'm pretty sure she left me, I really don't want to get into it," Spencer said dismissively.

"Do you want me to come over there?" she asked, ignoring the comment about Delani.

"No, I'm afraid I'll be in the same situation when you leave. I just have a few questions," Spencer answered. He figured JJ could help him out, being has she had a toddler of her own.

"Ask away" the young mother offered.

"Ok, umm, I'm waiting on all of her stuff to be shipped in from Las Vegas, but I bought a highchair and a playpen today. Can she sleep in a playpen?" Spencer wondered.

"Yes, absolutely" She replied affirmatively. "Do you have food for her? Diapers? Clothes?" the mother asked.

"I went out and bought diapers, and the toddler like foods, and I have enough clothes until the rest arrive," Spencer started "I also got her a doctor's appointment for tomorrow," he finished.

"Good, good. It sounds like you have it all under control. You'll be better at this than you think," JJ promised.

"Thanks Jayje," he laughed.

"You're welcome Spence, but I have to and Henry are waiting. Please call me if you need anything!" his friend said just before hanging up. Spencer drummed his fingers on the counter and turned to look at Franny. She was covered in peas and ravioli.

"Oh sweetie," he laughed.

He sat in the waiting room filling out endless clipboards of paper work. He sighed as he wrote Francesca's social security number for the fifth time.

"Excuse me," A little voice said. Spencer looked up to see a young girl standing in front of him.

"Yess?" he answered.

"What's your little girls name?" The girl questioned.

"Francesca, but I call her Franny," Spencer said simply.

"Freddy?" The little girl misheard him. Spencer laughed.

"Yes, Freddy," He liked that, it was cute and quirky.

"Spencer Reid," The receptionist called.

"Well, that's me, it was uh, nice meeting you," Spencer said as he grabbed Francesca into his arms and followed the nurse.

The doctor had done a routine exam and insured Spencer his new little girl was as healthy as could be and that she was growing and developing, as she should be.

"It's not going to be easy raising her by yourself, especially with your job," the doctor informed him. The older man finished filling out his charts and began to dig through a drawer. He extended a pamphlet in Spencer's direction. "Here, look through these. Maybe you can find a single parents group to join just until you get on your feet," the doctor suggested.

Spencer took the information, gathered the newly named Freddy and left the office.

Spencer spent the next couple of weeks settling in with Freddy. The hardest thing he had to do was call his job.

"Hello?" The always professional voice of SSA Aaron Hotchner answered.

"Hotch, it's Reid, I need to…" Spencer was interrupted.

"Reid, I didn't think we were going to hear from you again. We miss having you around the BAU," Hotch mentioned.

"Well, I'm not exactly coming back, yet anyway," Spencer disclosed.

"What, why? I put you down for a leave of absence. I understand you needed some personal time,"  
Hotch continued.

"No, Hotch, that is not it. My best friend died recently and I was given custody of his 18-month-old daughter. I can't take care of her and deal with our work schedule and the constant traveling," Spencer explained.

"Wow, that's not what I was expecting. I'm losing a great profiler. I'm sure I could find something for you to do around the office," Hotch all but begged.

"I can't right now, Hotch. This little girl is my top priority," Spencer sighed.

"Alright, well I wish you the best of luck and I put and extension on your leave, give me a call when you're ready to come back and don't be a stranger," Hotch said.

"I won't and thanks," Spencer finished the call. Spencer had enough money from Cole to stop working for the time being and spend some time raising Francesca. He decided they would need some more space. Freddy was quickly out growing the one bedroom apartment. She needed a room of her own. The search for a new apartment was painless. He simply knew somebody that knew somebody that knew somebody who was looking to rent an apartment. The size was right and so was the price. He accepted and quickly moved in. During the move, he found the pamphlets the doctor had given him. He considered the idea of joining a single parents group.


	7. Chapter 7

He entered the rec center with caution, not knowing what to expect. His shyness was giving him a severe handicap at the moment. He dropped Freddy off in the child's play area and went to join the group women sitting in a circle of chairs. He took a vacant seat and avoided the awkward stares.

"Well, it appears we have a new member," A plump, flamboyantly dressed woman announced as she took her place in the circle. Spencer looked up and gave a small wave.

"What's your name, son?" The supposed leader of the group asked in a voice that reminded Spencer of his elderly neighbor.

"My, uh, I'm Spencer," he mumbled nervously.

"There's no need to be shy. I know your over-powered by estrogen in this group, but you're always welcome," the large lady added. Spencer just nodded.

"Do you have a son or a daughter?" A dark, curly headed woman wondered. Spencer seemed puzzled by the question. Was Freddy really his daughter?

"A girl," he answered awkwardly.

"Oh, how wonderful, and her name is?" The leader took over again.

"Fran-Francesca, but most call her Freddy," Spencer stuttered.

"How cute!" A frail, redhead gasped. For the remainder of the meeting Spencer only listened to the women talk. He noticed a short black woman held a lot of anger towards the father of her children. Spencer did all he could to hide the smile that threatened to show due to her irrational ranting. He must have failed his attempt. The petite woman flew out of her chair in Spencer's direction.

"You're all the same," she hissed pointing an accusing finger dangerously close to his face. Spencer pulled back defensively. "You all think you can just do whatever and just walk out, leaving us with little mouths to feed!" She yelled.

"I…I…" Spencer stammered.

"Rita, Rita, sit down, you're scaring Spencer. He's not Clay, he's done nothing to you," the moderator pulled the woman out of his face.

The meeting soon ended and coffee was offered in the lobby.

"You don't sleep much, do you?" A female voice called for his attention causing him to rattle his cup of hot coffee, burning drops hissing against the tender skin of his hand.

"Ah, shit, uh excuse me?" He gasped meeting the eyes of a pretty young blonde woman. The woman giggled at the distressed man.

"Sorry, my name is Erika," She said offering up her hand for a handshake. Spencer wiped his hand on his jeans and returned the action.

"I'm Spencer, and to answer your question, you're right, I don't sleep much. I'm still adjusting to life with Freddy." He replied.

"Yeah, I understand that, when Sammy was born it took him forever to sleep through the night." Erika concurred. Spencer looked around and noticed the rec center was basically empty.

"It appears everyone else is leaving, why don't we catch some lunch and finish this conversation?" Spencer asked nervously.

"I'd love to; let me go get Sammy, then we can leave," Erika accepted.

"Ok, yeah, I have to get Freddy too." Spencer said, following her.

With toddlers in hand, the two made there way across the parking lot to the black SUV. Each buckled in their respective car seat and climbed in the front.

"So you said you're still adjusting to life with Freddy, isn't she almost eighteen months old?" Erika pried the slightest bit.

"Yeah, but she's only been mine for about a month," Spencer let on.

"Oh" was all Erika could think to say. Spencer laughed at the site of the woman uncomfortable.

"See, Freddy is not my biological daughter. I am her guardian. Her father was my best friend and unfortunately he passed away last month," Spencer disclosed. Erika gasped.

"And, what about her mother?" Erika craved to know more.

"She was in a car accident while she was eight months pregnant with Freddy. They delivered the baby, but there wasn't much hope for her mother," Spencer explained. Erika was nearly in tears.

"So, when her dad died, you just stepped up and took her in?" Erika asked, sending him a glowing look.

"I'm no hero. I was her godfather, so it was in his will that I be named her guardian if anything happened to him and I just accepted my duties," Spencer added humbly.

"Spencer, whether you believe it or not, what you did is rather commendable," Erika added. Spencer smiled and nodded

"So now that you know my sad little story, what's yours?" Spencer questioned.

"Well, I was dating this amazing man and we had the perfect relationship, but a baby wasn't in his plans," Erika stated.

"So he left you?" He asked

"No, he told me to get an abortion, so I left him," Erika explained.

"Are you glad you left?" Spencer was curious.

"Absolutely, Sammy is the best thing that's happened to me," Erika finished

Spencer parked the car a few blocks away from their lunch destination. It was a nice day, neither minded walking, plus the kids needed some fresh air. Lunch was pleasant, both the toddlers behaved and Spencer was finally glad to have some contact with the outside world. After a small squabble over the check, Spencer won, leaving money for the waiter, the small group started back towards the car. The walk was slow and relaxed.

Out of nowhere, Spencer groaned loudly.

"Spencer! What is wrong?" Erika asked in an alarmed tone.

"Derek Morgan," he mumbled.

"That's not an answer, that's a name," Erika pointed out.

"No, Derek Morgan," Spencer pointed to a man walking in there direction. Erika looked up and noticed the near six foot tall man with dark skin and dark eyes. He held a welcoming smile on his pristine face.

"Oh, do you want to turn around?" Erika asked.

"Pretty Boy!" Derek called.

"Too late now," Spencer sighed. "Hey Morgan," he replied.

"I haven't seen you in forever. I miss having you on the team," Derek began.

"Yeah, new priorities," Spencer said, addressing Freddy.

"I see that, so she's…" Spencer cut Derek off.

"She's the daughter of a friend of mine who recently passed away. I'm her guardian. Her name is Francesca." Derek stood there absorbing the information. He then noticed the pretty little blonde standing next to Spencer.

"Hi, I'm Derek." Derek introduced himself, shooting her an earth-shattering smile. Erika was rendered speechless and Derek shook her hand.

"I'm Erika, and this is Sam," she said finally.

"He's cute," Derek complimented. "Just like his mom," he added. Erika blushed. Just as Derek finished his flirting he turned back to Spencer "Um, are you?" He said waggling his finger between Spencer and Erika. Spencer shook his head no. "Ok, so then you and De…" Spencer answered no before Derek could finish. "Oh, sorry man," he added. Spencer just shrugged.

"Well, it's nearly nap time, we better get going," Spencer said, interrupting Erika and Derek's flirtatious staring contest.

"Alright, I better be on my way too. Reid, keep in touch, oh and Erika, it was nice meeting you. I hope to see you again." Derek bid them good-bye and continued down the street.

"Who was that?" Erika wondered.

"Derek Morgan," Spencer stated. Erika playfully hit his arm.

"I know that, but…" her voice trailed off.

"He's a profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. Umm, he's from Chicago, Illinois, has two sisters, and a dog named Clooney, and restores houses in his freetime, anything else you wanna know?" Spencer rattled off.

"You got his phone number?" Erika questioned.

"Yeah, I'll give it to you when we get back to the car," Spencer laughed. A smile lit up Erika's face. As they continued walking, Spencer noticed she was a bit twitchy. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm just all giggly," she replied.

"Derek does that to women," Spencer stated simply. Erika laughed and shook her head.

"So you work with him?" Erika wondered.

"Yeah, well, I used to, I mean, I haven't been back to work since my friend died and Freddy came into my care," Spencer admitted.

"That's understandable and at some point, you'll be ready to work now you have a lot on your plate, you're not only grieving the loss of your friend,but your also trying to adjust your lifestyle to fill the needs of a toddler," Erika mentioned.

They soon returned to the car and climbed in.

"Spencer! This car is huge!" Erika giggled. Spencer only shrugged. "It seems a little ridiculous to have this beast if it's only you and the little one" She added. Spencer turned his attention to the road. He felt a lump rise in his throat.

"I think my fiancé would kill me if I sold this car" His laugh spurred from the irony of the situation. Delani had picked out the car, because she liked the way it looked when he drove the department issued vehicles. He would actually perfer something much smaller.

"Oh, you're engaged?" Erika questioned, her smile falling from her face. Spencer couldn't control his laughter, as he finally realized the situation he was in.

"No, I guess not, not anymore," Spencer assumed.

"What happened?" Erika began to pry again.

"I guess she didn't want to deal with Freddy. I mean when I came back from Las Vegas she had packed up and left," Spencer explained.

"She break your heart?" Erika asked.

"I don't know yet. I really haven't had time to think about it. Freddy is my priority," Spencer answered honestly.

"Don't get so wrapped up in Freddy that you don't live your own life," Erika warned.

"Yeah, I know, I mean, I would love to win Delani back, but right now I don't have the time or energy. I'm hoping she'll come around," Spencer added.

"She will. She loves you right?" Erika checked.. Spencer nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

A month went by and Spencer became more comfortable with his new life. He still went to the group meeting every Saturday morning, taking Erika and Sammy to lunch afterwards. Now on occasion, Derek joined them, being as he was now the boyfriend of Erika.

During one of their lunches in the first few days of November, Spencer had no idea he was being watched from another part of the restaurant.

"Look at him, he's just moved on!" Delani said in a disgusted tone as she watched Spencer and Erika laugh.

"Delani, I don't think they're together, she's holding the other, very attractive, man's hand," her friend Kelly mentioned.

"No, that's Derek. Derek doesn't commit," Delani insured her friend.

"Still, Delani, what does it matter? You left him. You couldn't handle the kid, remember?" Kelly reminded her.

Delani swallowed hard She thought back to the huge rash decision she made on her flight back from Las Vegas two months earlier.

"Yeah, I'm thinking I made a mistake," Delani sighed.

"You still love him!" Kelly was shocked.

"Always will," Delani replied, rather defeated. She stood up from the table and walked passed Spencer's table. Derek had left and Spencer was picking a kernel of corn out of Erika's hair that Sammy had flicked there.

"Oh, Spencer!" Delani pretended to be surprised by his presence. Spencer's attention shifted from the corn to his long lost fiancé.

"Hey Delani," he managed to say, taking in the look of her. She hadn't changed much. Her hair was a little longer. She was a little thinner. Maybe too thin, in Spencer's opinion. He shook himself out of his thoughts. "This is my friend Erika. She is in my single parents group," Spencer filled the awkward silence.

"Nice to meet you," She said dismissively in a jealous tone.

"It was nice seeing you again, Delani," Spencer said in an almost sarcastic manner as he lifted Freddy out of the wooden highchair.

"Lani!" Francesca recognized the woman. Delani gasped at the mention of her name.

"Come on Freddy, we have to go, we still have errands to run," Spencer said, ignoring the fact the child remembered his fiancé. Erika followed suit and got Sammy ready to leave. Delani slinked back to her table.

"Awkward," She said to Kelly.

"Why don't you go back to him?" Kelly asked.

"He's hurt, he'll never take me back," Delani sighed.

Meanwhile, out on the street, Spencer was collecting himself.

"Is that your first run-in with her since she left?" Erika questioned.

"Uh, yeah," his answer was distant.

"You alright?" Erika was concerned for her friend.

"I've been better. She looked thin," He said as if he were thinking out loud.

"She was thin yes, but who isn't these days, I mean yeah," Erika had no idea what to do.

"She forgets to eat when she's stressed. Just like me. We helped each other with that. I wonder if she's stressed," Spencer rambled.

"I don't know, Spencer. Are you really ok? I mean you can take me home and we can call it a day," Erika suggested

"NO!" he said harsher than intended. "No, no, I mean Freddy needs a new bed, she is getting too big for the crib. I don't even know what I'm looking for," Spencer tried again, and attempted to cover is distraught mood.

A week after the encounter with Delani, Spencer noticed Freddy had nearly quit eating.

"Sweetie, you have to eat," Spencer begged as he tried to spoon some mixed veggies into her little mouth. She gave him a pathetic look. He noticed her lids were heavy and she had taken on an almost green completion. "Freddy, are you feeling ok?" He asked. The little girl folded her arm on the tray in front of her and buried her head. "Look at me," he said, prodding her to sit back up. She barely held her little head up as he felt her forehead. She was burning up. Spencer went into panic mode. He grabbed the nearest phone and dialed Erika's number.

"Erika, it's Spencer, I think Freddy has a fever, but I don't know, what do I do?" He asked frantically.

"First off, you slow down. Panicking doesn't do anything but cause problems. Then, take her to the Urgent Care on Maple and west 27th street. I will meet you there," Erika instructed, ending the call.

When she arrived at the Urgent Care, Spencer looked as sick as Freddy.

"How's she doing?" Erika asked.

"Same, she just looks terrible," Spencer answered.

"Yeah, poor thing. She's gonna be fine, it's probably just the flu," Erika comforted.

"Wait, where's Sammy?" Spencer asked, noticing Erika did not have her always present son.

"Oh, Derek was over, he offered to watch him" Erika answered.

"I pulled you away from Morgan, uh sorry about that" Spencer apologized.

"No worries, it's not like we were out or anything," Erika barely finished her sentence before Spencer burst into a bought of laughter.

"Spencer, what is wrong with you, are you sure you aren't the sick one here?" Erika was truly baffled.

"You left Sammy with Derek," Spencer giggled.

"Yes, that's what I said," Erika said in an annoyed tone.

"That should be interesting," Spencer laughed.

"Bencer," The voice alone stopped his laughter. The little girl had turned in his lap and her little green eyes bore into his.

"What is it honey?" he asked soberly.

"Bad," was all she said as she rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists.

"Aww sweetie, I know," Spencer crooned, allowing her to lean into his chest. He took a glance at Erika, her eyes flamed. "Erika, I'm sorry, I don't know what's going on. I'm a little stressed at the moment," He whispered

"It's ok," Erika accepted. "I'm going to find us something to drink," she said as she walked away.

Delani took her usual route home down west 27th street. At the light she stared into the parking lot of the Urgent Care. Something caught her eye. "Spence" the license plate read. She had spotted Spencer's SUV. Something compelled her to pull into the facility to see why he was there. She saw him sitting in the waiting room cradling Francesca.

"Spencer! Is she ok?" Delani called for his attention. Spencer looked up and shot her a bewildered look.

"Delani?" He asked.

"Yeah, is she ok?" she repeated.

"I think she has the flu, what are you doing here?" he demanded an answer.

"I just, I saw your SUV in the parking lot when I was driving home. I wanted to make sure everything was ok," She explained

"Everything is fine here," Erika's voice answered for him.

"Oh, uh, well, I guess I'll go," Delani stammered.

"Yeah, I think you should," Erika's voice answered from over Spencer's shoulder.

"Uh, yeah, err, sorry," Delani excused herself. Inside she had turned livid at the sight of Erika. He was spending so much time with her.

"What was she doing here?" Erika spit out, clearly disgusted by Delani.

"She saw the SUV, wanted to make sure everything was alright," Spencer said rather matter of factly.

"How did she know it was your SUV? There have got to be a ton of people in Virgina who drive a black SUV," Erika didn't understand.

"My license plate, it says Spence, it pretty much screams that it's my car," Spencer explained.

"Oh, I've never noticed that," Erika said, blushing a little as a feeling of idiocy over came her. The rest of the wait was somewhat awkward. Erika sat there mentally punishing herself, thinking Delani might finally be coming around and her stepping in like that may have ruined things. After what seemed like forever, both Erika and Spencer were proven right and Freddy was diagnosed with the flu.

"Thanks for coming out here, Erika. I really appreciate it," Spencer said as they left the Urgent Care.

"It's no problem, just get her better!" she replied with a wink as she walked towards her car.


	9. Chapter 9

Just before Thanksgiving, little Freddy was as healthy as a horse and Erika asked Spencer to a lunch without the children. Spencer was a little skeptically of the request, but obliged. Derek played babysitter again; since he let his talents shine the night of the Urgent Care visit. Spencer couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Erika was.

"Spencer, Noah, Sammy's father is in town. He wants to talk," She blurted. Spencer was taken back by her bluntness.

"Oh, well, then you don't have to watch Freddy tonight, it's not a big deal." Spencer stated, not knowing what else to say.

"No, no, I can still watch her, that's not the problem. I just don't know what to do" Erika disclosed.

"Do you want to see him?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, sorta. I wanna see what he has to say" Erika admitted.

"Then talk to him, what could it hurt?" Spencer shrugged.

"What will Derek think?" Erika wondered.

"Derek is understanding. You and Noah have a child together, Derek knows just as well as I do, that the two of you need to talk." Spencer assured her.

"Ok, then I guess I'll meet with Noah sometime this week," Erika said with a smile.

Later that night, Spencer welcomed Erika into his apartment, as he stood waiting on Derek to finish getting ready for the show.

"She has eaten, bedtime is 8:30," Spencer informed.

"Alright, where's Derek?" Erika asked in a rather excited voice.

"He's in my room getting ready. Now, remind me again why you aren't going to this event where your boyfriend and his friends are hanging out?" Spencer wondered.

"Derek said it was going to be a guy thing. Plus, it's not like I haven't seen them before," Erika laughed.

"If you say so," Spencer rolled his eyes.

"That and I don't think the rest of the guys like me" Erika continued.

"That's not true! Rossi likes you!" Spencer joked.

"He's a little creepy," she mentioned.

"He's just the legendary David Rossi, he's very into himself and Hotch, he just likes to keep to himself. Plus you know all the girls love you," Spencer added.

"And, they don't have to like you, I like you and that's all that matters." Derek said, approaching her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and leaving a kiss behind her ear.

"Alright, alright. I believe you. Now go, or you're going to be late!" Erika demanded, trying to push them out the door.

"Bye hon," Derek said, giving her a light peck on the lips.

After the show, Derek followed Spencer back to the apartment.

"OH, Erika. I've returned, with your pretty boyfriend," Spencer called quietly as he opened the door.

"Hey Spencer, she was fine. Derek! I didn't know I'd get to see you again tonight" she said skipping in Derek's direction.

"How could I resist? I wouldn't miss a chance to see my beautiful woman," Derek laughed, just before he leaned in to kiss her. "But I am pretty tired, so I'm gonna cut out pretty quick. I just wanted another kiss before I went home." Derek said, kissing her once more.

"Ok, I'll walk out with you. Spencer, I will see you soon. I'm sure I'll call you next week sometime," Erika called as she pulled the sleeping Sammy from the couch and left the apartment. As soon as the door clicked shut, Spencer spun on his heels and jogged to check on Francesca.

The room was dark, Spencer crept to the side of the bed and knelt next to it. He watched the angelic child sleeping. Throughout the night his mind wandered to her well being, even though he knew she was safe in Erika's care. It was a feeling he couldn't explain, nor understand. Impulsively, Spencer stuck a hand out and stroked the girl's head. Regret consumed him as her little eyelids fluttered open.

"Bencer?" her voice was groggy.

"Yeah, sweetie. I'm sorry I woke you up. I just got home." Spencer whispered in return. "Did you have fun with Erika and Sammy?" he asked. She nodded against her pillow. Freddy fought to keep her eyes open while he spoke. "It's ok honey, you can go back to sleep," he mentioned. The little girl snuggled down into her bed. "Love you," Spencer finished as he softly kissed her cheek.

"Wuv you too," Freddy mumbled as he left the room.

When she had babysat, Erika had left a few things behind. Spencer figured he'd let the holiday pass and after Thanksgiving, he would return her stuff. Only a few days after the turkey was had, a day finally came when Spencer had a spare second to run across town to Erika's apartment. He gather Freddy and Erika's few things and entered the apartment complex. He knocked once before the door fiercely swung open.

"Hey Erika, you left a few..." his voice died as he noticed the unfamiliar man in the apartment. He instinctivly reached around to where his gun used to sit sat his hip. He suddenly remebered he was no longer packing. In fact he hadn't been armed for the better part of four months. He was surprized this was the first time he missed having his weapon. However, Erika sent him a look saying he didn't need to worry. "I'll come back later," Spencer stammered, backing away from the doorway, embarrassment burning through his veins.

"No, no, Spencer, you're fine," Erika called him back towards the door. "This is Noah Greeley, Sammy's dad," Erika introduced the mysterious man. "And Noah, this is Spencer Reid, a friend of mine," she finished. Spencer and Noah met for a handshake.

"M'm Fweddy," Freddy chimed in, speaking around her hand which was currently in her mouth. Spencer laughed lightly.

"Yes, this is Francesca or Freddy," he added so the little girl was no longer left out. "Oh, um, Erika, here is some stuff you left behind when you babysat.," Spencer added, handing her the items.

"Thanks," she said discarding the things on the table next to the door. "Can I uh, talk to you in the hallway?" Erika questioned. Spencer nodded and waited for her to join him beyond the apartment door.

"Sorry," Spencer said, thinking it was appropriate.

"No, you're fine, we were just discussing things. I have some big news," Erika began.

"And that is?" Spencer wondered.

"Sammy and I are moving to South Dakota with Noah," she disclosed. Spencer's eyes widened.

"You're moving?" he double-checked.

"Yeah, as soon as possible,. He wants to be back in our lives," Erika continued

"Oh well, then good, I'm happy for you. How's Derek taking all this?" Spencer asked, knowing Morgan would be more than ok, he went through women like people went through paper plates. It wasn't that Morgan wasn't good to Erika and her son, commitment just wasn't in his blood. It didn't stop him from asking though, mostly because he didn't really know what else to say. He figured it was much better than just staring at her, like he would have perferred.

"Like you said, he is understanding,. He was sad we had to break it off. We had some good times together, but he know Noah and I should have a chance to figure this out," Erika explained.

"I'm really going to miss you Erika, you have been so helpful since I got Freddy and you're an excellent friend," Spencer said, nearly choking on his words.

"I know Spencer, and I'm sorry, I will miss you too," Erika suddenly felt tremendously guilty.

"We'll keep in touch," he stated. "I really do wish you the best. You should be a family," he added.

"Thank you, Spencer," she said, hugging him around Francesca. "You're a great friend," she finished.

"No problem," Spencer said quietly. "Freddy, say goodbye to Erika, she going to move far, far away," he informed the little girl.

"Bye Ewika," Freddy said, sitcking her tiny arms out to hug the woman.

"You be a good girl for Spencer. He's going to need all the help he can get," Erika addressed the little girl. Freddy only giggled and shifted back into Spencer's arms. Spencer sent Erika a goofy look.

"Everything ok out here?" Noah interrupted.

"Bye Erika, keep in touch," Spencer said with a wave as he began down the hallway, slightly peeved it ended that way.

"Bye Spencer, bye Freddy," Erika called after them.

Once outside, Spencer took a minute to collect himself on the street before walking to the SUV.

_"She's EVERYWHERE!" _Spencer thought as he sawy Delani approaching him and Francesca. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Delani," Spencer said in an unsurprised tone.

"Spencer, what on earth are you doing here?" Delani wondered.

"I was saying goodbye to a friend," Spencer answered simply.

"Who, Erika?" Delani pried.

"Yeah, she's moving to South Dakota," he added, turning to walk away, not really in the mood to talk to the fiancé who left him.

"Spencer!" Delani called after him.

"WHAT?" Spencer exclaimed, spinning on his heels back towards her. Delani looked rather shocked by his reaction and he had startled little Freddy. She all but jumped out of his arms."Sorry, I just, it's been a bad day," he apologized, running a soothing hand over Freddy's back. "Sorry honey, I didn't mean to scare you," he whispered in Freddy's ear, then kissing her hair.

"It's ok, I just wanted to tell you that you still have some of my stuff. I was just curious if I could possibly get it back," Delani questioned slowly.

"Ya know what, here," he fished out a spare key. "I'll be at Rossi's for Christmas, but you're welcome to come get whatever is yours," Spencer said, rather defeated. "Oh and I moved, I'm ast the apartment complex on Timber. The apartment number is on the key. Leave it on the counter when you're done," Spencer finished, actually walking away this time.


	10. Chapter 10

The holiday season sped by and Spencer and Francesca's first Christmas together was rapidly approaching. Spencer spent the early weeks of December educating Freddy on the holiday customs and traditions. With each day, the little girl grew more and more excited about December 25th. Finally the day came.

"Morning sweetie!" Spencer called, walking into Freddy's room. The little girl stood on her bed and jumped up and down. "Honey, be careful, you could get hurt," He laughed.

"Santa!" The little girl chanted.

"Yes honey, Santa" He scooped her up and transported her into the other room. The little girl's eyes jetted around the living room, each tree light catching her attention. She grabbed for the tree. "Breakfast first!" Spencer informed. He set her down and entered the kitchen. He started making a few pancakes. As he was flipping the last few, Freddy ran into the room as fast as her little legs would carry her. "What is it, Freddy?" He wondered. She thrust a brightly wrapped box in his direction.

"Pwesents!" she nearly demanded.

"Yes, that is a present, and you'll get to see what's in it, I promise, but first you need to eat," Spencer told her, removing the box from her hand and setting her in her booster seat. He set two small pancakes in front of her and turned to get the silverware. Before he had the chance, Freddy had almost completely downed one cake. "Slow down, the presents will be there when we finish," he warned, trying to contain her excitement. She slowly picked at the other pancake while Spencer leisurely ate his. When both were finished, he cleared the table. Freddy pulled at the restraint on her seat.

"Pwesents!" She cried.

"Yes, yes I know" Spencer responded, releasing her from her prison of plastic. The girl slid back into the living room, falling on her face just in front of the tree.

"Freddy!" Spencer gasped, concerned she might have been hurt. The little girl began to giggle and pushed herself into a sitting position. "Nothing is going to get in between you and your presents, is it?" Spencer said more to himself than to her. Before more holiday mayhem ensued, Spencer clicked on his video camera. "Freddy, what day is it?" He asked.

"Cwismas!" She squealed. Spencer left the camera on the tripod and joined the little girl in front of the tree. Christmas morning was filled with giggles and laugher, squeals and tickle fits.

Once the living room was almost recognizable again, Spencer tossed a few of Francesca's new things in a bag. Freddy put up a fight as he pulled her from her blocks to get cleaned up.

"We have to go see the team, kiddo," he informed her. After a minor struggle, he got her into the back seat of the SUV, watching a DVD for the extent of the ride to Little Creek.

"Hey everybody!" Spencer called as he walked into the large house.

"Reid!" The flamboyant Penelope Garcia gasped rushing into the room followed by JJ, Will, Prentiss, Hotch and Morgan , leaving Rossi standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Oh my young genius, she's adorable!" Garcia exclaimed. JJ reached to take the child from him. She had seen Freddy shortly after she moved from Las Vegas. Since then she has seen Spence a few times for lunch, but the little girl had be absent. She assumed she was left with his new friend Erika. He was glad Spence had someone like Erika to lean on while he went through his transition. She wished she could be there for him more, but the BAU made that very difficult.

"Francesca Analiese Turner! You have gotten so big!" She announced, bringing the child to her. The little girl gave the unrecognizable woman an uncertain look.

"Hey, can you hang on to her for a sec, while I go grab our things from the car?" Spencer wondered.

"Of course honey, take your time, it's not often our little G-man comes over for Christmas with such a charming little girl." Garcia replied following JJ back into the kitchen. Freddy let out a small uncomfortable sob.

"Sweetheart, he'll be right back," JJ said to the child. Spencer finished bringing in their stuff in and joined the team in the kitchen.

"Benser!" The child announced his presence.

"Hey baby," he said softly, putting a finger up to his lips to tell her to lower her voice.

"Spencer!" Another voice called his name; this time it wasn't Freddy, but Emily Prentiss.

"What?" Spencer said, defensively.

"Why doesn't your child call you Daddy?" Emily ranted.

"Umm, am I her father?" Spencer shrugged. He turned his attention to Freddy; she had burst into tears and was reaching for him. "Oh honey, what's wrong?" He asked, obeying her wishes and taking Francesca into his arms. She only buried her head in his shoulder and continued to cry. "Freddy, it's ok baby. There's no need to cry," he soothed, gently rubbing her back. "You want to watch one of your new movies?" Spencer whispered to the distraught child in his arms. Freddy leaned back and looked up at up. She nodded as the last tears fell over her lashes. Spencer brought a hand around to wipe her little tear-stained face.

"The guest bedroom at the top of the stairs has a DVD player," Rossi informed. He carried the girl to the bedroom , resembling that of a nice hotel, and settled her on the bed watching some entertaining children's program on DVD.

He finally resurfaced in the kitchen.

"Sorry, I had to take care of that," he said apologetically.

"That's ok, is she alright?" Hotch was curious.

"Yeah she's fine. She had a big morning and I don't think she's had nap. She'll probably sleep now. She needs it," Spencer explained.

"Reid, how did it make you feel when she just started crying like that?" Emily asked. Spencer suddenly noticed everyone else in the room. He felt all their eyes set on him. He swallowed hard and reached up to rub his forehead.

"I don't know. I guess it was a little scary and kinda sad and I guess it kinda pulled at my heart a little. I don't like to see her upset," he admitted.

"And how does it make you feel when she smiles, or she laughs?" Garica continued. They were ganging up on him and it made him nervous. Spencer felt like he was taking a test he hadn't studied for. He proceeded with another honest answer.

"It makes me want to smile or laugh right along with her," he said, almost blushing.

"And if anything ever happened to her?"Morgan joined in. Spencer was shocked by the severity of his question.

"I'd be lost," he answered simply.

"Let me tell you a little secret," JJ said as he ventured across the kitchen and stood in front of him. "You're her father," she leaned up and whispered in his ear. "She should call you Daddy," she finished with a wink as she backed away.

"Ok" Spencer said with a slight nod.

"Oh Reid darling, how is Delani?" Garcia blurted before JJ or Morgan could stop her. Spencer laughed nervously.

"Well, the last time I talked to her, she told I still had some of her stuff and she wanted it back." he replied.

"Oh what a shame, ya'll were supposed to get married and everything," Garcia sighed, a little sad that thier little genius was dumped by his fiance.

"I know, I haven't given up hope yet. I'm still waiting to see if she'll come around." Spencer added.

"Don't wait too long" Rossi warned as he slammed a glass of scotch into Spencer's chest and left the room. Spencer took the scotch and gave it a sideways look.

"What is it? You perfer something a little lighter?" Morgan joked.

"No, no, it's just I haven't had a alcohol in so long." he explained, taking a sip. " I've spent the last few month buying Gerber graduate products and juice boxes." He laughed.

"True signs of a father" Emily noted. Spencer rolled his eyes.

About an hour later, the house was filled with the wonderful scents of a Christmas feast. Spencer removed himself from the conversation being held between the men and cut through the kitchen to sneak up the stairs. JJ caught him out of the corner of her eye while she dished up the gravy.

"Spence, will Francesca eat with us?" JJ questioned.

"Yeah, I was just going to check on her now," He mentioned, continuing out of the room.

The small form on the bed was still and curled up in a tight ball. The credits rolled on the TV, accompanied by some obscure musical tune. Spencer fished for the remote in the dark and turned off the bizarre sound. He moved to the bed and sat down next to the child. He just watched her sleep for a few moments. This was his child, his daughter. They were now a family and would be until the end of time, maybe with a few other people added along the way, but no matter what, he and this little girl would be family. He smiled to himself and gently stroked Freddy's cheek. She fussed at little as she came out of her sleeping state.

"Hey honey," Spencer whispered as she opened her eyes. She squinted in the dark. Recognizing Spencer, she pulled herself into him. "It's ok Freddy," He added wrapping an arm safely around her and clicking on the lamp sitting on the nightstand. Francesca's face scrunched up in reaction to the bright light. "I love you, Freddy" He disclosed squeezing her tight.

"Wuv you too Benser," She mumbled against his chest. Spencer's heart warmed to hear those words. He moved her in his arms so she could see his face.

"Sweetie, you can call me Daddy," he mentioned.

"Daddy," She tested. Spencer smiled at her. He ticked her lightly, causing a giggle from his daughter.

"You ready to eat?" he asked. Freddy nodded feverishly.

The next morning, Spencer had just finished loading the SUV to head back home.

"Freddy, say goodbye to the team," Spencer instructed as he set her down after letting her wash her hands.

While Freddy said her goodbyes, JJ and Will pulled Spencer aside.

"So things seem to be going well,"JJ started.

"Yeah, I think we have finally adjusted," Spencer replied with a nod.

"And how have things been since Erika moved?" she wondered.

"A little bit tougher, but we manage. I hoping to come back to work after the New Year. I've started looking into daycares and I'm just trying to figure out who will watch her while I'm out of town,"Spencer laid out.

"Well, We could do it on a trial basis first, but she could always stay with me and Henry," Will offered.

"Really? You'd do that?" Spencer was somewhat surprised by Will's generosity.

"Of course, we're here for you," Will confirmed.

"Thanks, I'll get back to you about that,"Spencer mentioned.

Meanwhile, Freddy ran to her newfound playmate Penelope and hugged her legs tight.

"Bye Nelope," she said.

"Bye sweetie, I can't wait until I get to see you again," she said lifting Francesca and kissing her on the cheek. When she was on the floor again, Freddy took a running start towards Rossi.

"Bye bye Wossi," she said as he swept her off her feet. She giggled as his whiskers tickled her delicate skin as he kissed her.

"Goodbye Freddy, you be a good girl," he said, handing her off to Emily.

"Bye sweet girl," Emily smiled.

"Bye Emmy," Freddy replied, hugging the dark haired agent chuckled and passed Freddy to the next set of open arms who happened to belong to one Derek Morgan. Morgan flipped Freddy's feet over his shoulder and tickled her now exposed belly. The little girl squirmed and giggled. He finally let up and placed a smacking kiss on her cheek. By this time JJ, Will, and Spencer had rejoined the group.

"I'll see you later kid, someone has to keep you from being a nerd like your dad," he smiled passing her to JJ. Spencer sent him a dark look. Morgan's only response was a cocky grin.

"Ok darling, you'll have to come over sometime and play with Henry, ok?" JJ suggested. The little girl's dark eyes lit up.

"Henwy?" she asked.

"Yeah, you can come play at my house, but we'll see you later," JJ finished in her "Mommy" voice. Finally Freddy ended up in the care of Hotch. He looked uncharacteristically comfortable holding the toddler. After he allowed Jack to say goodbye, he followed the rest of the team to Spencer's SUV, still holding Freddy.

" Bye Hotch," Freddy mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder. All the women of the team ooh-ed and aww-ed at the endearing moment.

"Bye honey, I hope you had a good day," Hotch whispered softly. "I hope you can convince your daddy to come back to the BAU," he added with a smirk.

"I'll call you after the first of the year," Spencer replied, meeting Hotch's eyes. He reached for his daughter and turned to buckle her in. He moved to face the team again.

Thanks for everything" he said to all of them. There was a round of "no problems" and

"Reid, we're so proud of you. You are so good with her. She's turning into a sweet little girl. You're doing a great job" Garcia praised.

"Thanks," he said modestly before saying his own goodbyes and taking off.


	11. Chapter 11

Something seemed off kilter as Spencer carried his daughter through the front door. In his living room stood the difference, Delani. Spencer ignored her and went to put Freddy in her room. When he returned to the living room, he noticed what Delani was doing. She was watching the video he had made from Christmas morning. Little Freddy sat in front of the camera giggling fiercely as Spencer swooped in the tickled her. The shot changed to the two of the both laying on the floor laughing and then changed again to Spencer reading to Freddy from her new book of classic Christmas stories. Delani sighed as a tear rolled down her cheek. Spencer took a chance and approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist, setting himself in an all too familiar position.

"You could have been a part of that," he whispered over her shoulder.

"You would have taken me back?" Delani sobbed.

"Yes, of course, I'd take you back now," Spencer informed her. Delani pulled out of his arms and spun to look at him.

"How could you? What I did was so selfish, so cold. When you needed me, I walked out on you and worse yet I didn't even tell you I was leaving. I just packed up and left," Delani spit out in a guilty tone. Spencer closed the gap between them and set a hand on her cheek.

"Lani, I hope you don't take this the wrong way but for the past few months I've been raising a toddler. She has consumed all my time, I don't even know if I can function as a normal human anymore, well as normal as I was anyway," he chuckled. "I went home for Christmas and it was the first time I had interacted with people who weren't an angry group of single parents since the funeral in Las Vegas. When I got home from Las Vegas, I literally read your note, stuffed your ring in my pocket and turned to feed Freddy. I haven't had the time to think about what you did to me," He said with a slight laugh. It seemed some of the heaviness lifted from her brown orbs.

"I never thought about that, I guess I just assumed you were doing what I was doing, sitting around dwelling on you an me," Delani admitted.

"Oh, honey. I thought about you, don't get me wrong. Every time you came up, I just prayed you'd come around," Spencer replied.

"Spencer, I feel stupid. I was jealous of Francesca because she was getting all your attention and I was too self absorbed to see that she really needed you. I remember some of the things I said and I'm ashamed of myself," Delani confided.

"Delani, don't beat yourself up over it. It's over now. That was all in the past and I don't know, maybe we needed a break. Maybe it's best I had sometime to settle into the life with Freddy because I would have felt terrible if I would have neglected you," Spencer justified.

"I…" Delani was cut off.

"Daddy?" A little voice from down the hall called.

"Sorry Delani, I have to…" his voice trailed off as he pointed towards Freddy's room. She nodded. "Yeah, baby," He replied to his daughter. The small child started towards the living room. Spencer met her halfway. The little girl stretched her arms up as a sign for her father to pick her up. He obliged and pulled the tired child to his chest. He carried her back to the living room.

"Hey Freddy," Delani cooed. Francesca gave her an odd look and set her head down on Spencer's shoulder.

"Not quite awake yet, sweetie?" Spencer asked, gently taming Freddy's hair. She shook her head no.

"Snack?" she mumbled.

"Of course," Spencer replied. "Would you like to join us for an after nap snack, Delani?" he offered with a smile and a wink. Delani accepted the offer and took a seat at the island in the kitchen. "Honey, can Delani hold you while I get your snack?" Spencer asked Francesca. The little girl answered affirmatively. Her father handed her to the woman in their kitchen. He dug around until he found a suitable snack, then took the stool next to Delani. He grabbed Freddy and set her on the island in front of him. As the toddler ate, the two adults held a conversation filled with meaningless small talk, neither ready to finish the conversation they started earlier.

After snack time, Spencer walked to the sink to get a washcloth. He washed Freddy's face and then gave her a quick kiss.

"Love you," he whispered.

"wuv you too," she replied as she wrapped her chubby little arms around his neck. Delani watched as both sets of eyes connected. Spencer squeezed his daughter tight.

"How about some TV?" he asked putting Francesca on the floor. The little girl smiled and ran into the living room. "No, sweetie, you can watch it in my room," he said scooping her up from the leather beast and tossing her over his shoulder. Once in the bedroom he gently threw her onto the bed and started another new DVD.

He walked back out into the kitchen to see the beautiful figure still siting at the counter. Her small frame perched on the stool her lengthy black cherry hair falling just below her shoulders.

"Hey, sorry," he said from behind her. She spun the stool to face him.

"She's grown a lot. Her speech has improved so much," Delani noted. Spencer nodded and stepped closer to her. She stood from the stool.

"Delani," he whispered, his breath danced on her face. Impulsively he leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was strong, releasing all of the tension and stress that was strung between them during their time apart.

"Spencer," Delani breathed, pulling away from him. His eyes had succumbed to a deep dark carmel color.

"Sweetie, I want you back in my life," he nearly begged.

"You mean that?" Tears shone in her eyes.

"Yes, absolutely," Spencer said in a confident, wispy tone. Delani sent him a watery smile and rested her head on his chest. He put his arms around her and held her close in warm embrace. "I mean, I'm sort of a package deal now, but if you're ok with that…" he couldn't finish before she moved in his arms and pulled him into another kiss. Spencer felt himself blush. "Ok, those are wonderful, but I need to say something, then when I'm done, I'm all yours," Spencer briefed. Delani gave him and expectant look and raised an eyebrow to the end of his statement. "I don't think we should get married, not yet. I want to marry you more than anything, but we have a child to consider. I think we should hold off on the wedding for a while and focus on building up our relationship and becoming a family," Spencer said slowly. Delani processed what he was saying.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," she agreed finally. Spencer's smile turned rather sly as he initiated another kiss.

"Excellent," he broke the kiss for only a moment.

"I love you," Delani said finally, when they had eventually made it to the couch where she was laying comfortably on his chest.

"I love you too," Spencer replied and leaned up to give her a peck on the lips. "I should go check on Freddy" he said scooting her off of him, gently patting her upper thigh. As she watched him walk down the hallway, she sat buried in the depths of the leather couch with a lovesick grin hanging from ear to ear.


	12. Chapter 12

The New Year rolled in and an family was quickly developing in Spencer's apartment. After somewhat of a shaky start, Delani was adapting to life with a toddler. She was unsure of herself than anything, but with a little assurance from Spencer, she became really comfortable around Freddy to the point she was almost her own daughter.

As he had hoped, Spencer returned to the BAU, leaving his darling daughter in the care of Delani, who would often go to Will for help while the team was out of town. She wasn't one hundred percent confident she could watch Freddy all on her own for extended periods just yet.

One day in the middle of the second week of January, Delani offered to take Freddy off Spencer's hands a go to the store. Spencer was left to himself to get some things done. He had email to check and an apartment to clean.

Spencer sat at the computer and clicked into his email. He had a message from Erika.

"Well, I haven't heard from you in a while," he said to the words on the screen.

_Spencer,_

_I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. I have some news. Noah and I are getting married. Sammy is really attached to him. They hit it off right away. We're happy. South Dakota is so different from Virgina, but the snow made for a pretty Christmas. We've seen ALL the sights. You wouldn't believe how blue the sky is here. I sent some pictures form our adventures. How's Freddy? Is Derek doing alright? I feel guilty about all that. Lastly, how are you?_

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Your friend,_

_Erika_

Her tone worried him. She seemed unhappy. He quickly typed up a reply.

_Erika,_

_Things are great! Freddy is growing like a weed as I see Sammy is too. Christmas was wonderful. Freddy fell in love with the team. She was the life of the party once she quit being shy (One of the negative traits I instilled in her…ha-ha). I attached her Christmas picture. It looks like your enjoying yourself in you new territory up north! Ha-ha! Don't worry about Derek, he's absolutely fine. Like he said, he understands. No need to feel guilty about anything. Oh! I almost forgot. Delani and I got back together just before New Year's. We are not, however, getting married. We will leave that decision up to Freddy. Right now, we just want to be together. I'm glad things are working out for you, but as your friend, I have to ask. Are you sure this is what you want? You seem uncertain. _

_It was nice hearing from you._

_Spencer_

He sent the message and went to make room for all of Delani's stuff again. She and Freddy would be back form the store soon and he knew she would want to unpack all the boxes so she could be officially moved in. As he entered the bedroom, the phone rang. Spencer flopped on the bed and reached for the handset on the night stand.

"Hello?" he asked.

"You must have read the message wrong, you big dork! I am so happy, I can't even tell you! I still loved Noah and like you with Delani, I was just hoping he'd come around. He said the reason he didn't sooner was because he was ashamed of himself," The voice on the other end rattled off.

"Well hello Erika, it's nice of you to call," Spencer joked.

"Hello Spencer, how are you?" She greeted him properly. Spencer rolled onto his back and perched his head on his free arm.

"I'm happy, happy and content" He laughed.


	13. Epilouge

**4 years later…**

Spencer was watching the water boil and began to add the noodles. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small figure bounce into the room and hop onto a barstool at the kitchen island.

"Daddy?" she addressed him.

"Yes, Freddy," he replied, turning to face her.

"Is Delani my mommy?" she asked a loaded question. Spencer let out a nervous laugh.

"Uh, no sweetie, she's not," he answered honestly.

"Oh," the child responded. Spencer felt a sense of nervousness creep over him as he wondered what questions might follow. He decided to take the conversation in a different direction.

"Would it be out with you if Delani was your mommy? I mean I was going to as her to marry me, but it has to be ok with you first," he said as he covered her tiny hands with his. Spencer watched Francesca's striking green eyes examine the ceiling tiles as she searched for an answer.

"I like Delani a lot, and I know you like her a lot too, so yeah. Delani can be my mommy," Freddy stated with a smile as she gathered her smooth dark curls that hung just below her shoulder blades. Spencer leaned across the island and left her a peck on the lips. The little girl released her hair and set a hand on each of her dad's cheeks.

"Thank you, baby," he added. He turned his attention back to the noodles.

"So she's gonna be my mommy now?" Francesca wondered.

"Well, we have to ask her first," Spencer laughed.

"Daddy, why did we move away from Las Vegas?" Freddy questioned. Her father turned to look at her once more. Spencer felt his chest tighten. He had been dreading this question since he signed the custody papers four years ago.

"Fred, what's with all the questions?" he asked nervously.

"We had to fill out this paper at school and it asked us about our family and where we were born and stuff," Francesca explained. Spencer sighed and nodded, quickly cursing the school system.

"Alright baby, we need to have a talk," Spencer said, turning the stove down and lifting Freddy off the stool.

"Daddy, am I in trouble?" the little girl asked, her voice wavering just a bit.

"No sweetie, of course not. We just need to have a very important conversation," Spencer explained. He carried her to her bedroom and sat her down on the bed. "Now, this is going to be sad and probably confusing. If you don't understand, let me know," Spencer prepped his child. Freddy nodded. Spencer grabbed a picture frame off the top of her bookshelf. He brushed off the dust with his free hand and lightly blew off any dust bunnies left behind. "See, these are your parents," he began point at the picture of Cole, a tall man with midnight black hair, whose arms were wrapped around Abbi, a short woman with hair the color of honey, who appeared to be six months pregnant. A confused expression fell onto Freddy's face. She took the picture and held it close to her face.

" But that's not you, Daddy," she said pointing to the man in the picture.

"I know sweetie, that's why you don't live in Las Vegas anymore," Spencer tried to explain.

"YOU KIDNAPPED ME?" her eyes were the size of tennis balls. She jumped off the bed and backed away from him.

"No, no, no honey, that's not what I meant. Come here, come back," Spencer reacted quickly.

"So you didn't kidnap me?" Freddy double-checked, climbing back on the bed.

"Right. See, right after you were born, your mommy passed away," Spencer started slowly.

"So she's dead?" Freddy asked.

"Yeah and when you were almost two, your daddy passed away too, but before he died, he asked me to take care of you," Spencer continued. Francesca had gone pale.

"Both my parents are dead?" She squeaked.

"Yes, but they are both in heaven, looking down on their daughter and watching her grow into a young lady who can spell her name, write all her letters, capital and lowercase," Spencer said pulling Francesca into his lap.

"And count to one hundred," Freddy added.

"And count to one hundred," Spencer repeated with a smile. "They loved you, sweetie," Spencer added as he picked up the picture off the bedspread. "And that's you, in your mommy's tummy," Spencer pointed towards Abbi's abdomen. Freddy nodded and ran her fingers over the photo of the woman she now knew as her mother. "Are you ok?" the concerned father asked. Freddy was silent.

"Yeah," she whispered finally. Spencer's brain told him he did the right thing, but his heart was regretting telling her. He sighed heavily as an attempt to relieve some tension. "Can I still call you Daddy?" she asked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said with a smile. He leaned in a kissed her. "You used to not call me Daddy and it that made me sad," he added. Freddy gasped. "Yeah, you used to call me Spencer when I first started taking care of you," Spencer finished.

"Well, I don't want to make you sad," Freddy replied seriously. She took her dad's face in her hands and looked straight into his hazel eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what, dear?" he wondered.

"For taking care of me," she replied matter of factly.

"It's no problem, baby girl," he laughed.

"I love you, Daddy," she said wrapping her small arms around his neck.

"I love you too, Freddy," Spencer replied. He pulled her into his chest and squeezed her tight. They both heard the door open. Freddy pushed back to look at her dad.

"Delani is home!" She squealed.

"Yep, that means it's dinner time," Spencer added. He grabbed Freddy off the bed and slung her over his shoulder. She giggled franticly all the way into the kitchen.

"Well, you two look like you're having fun," Delani noted, watching the pair.

"We sure are," Spencer assured her as he set Freddy down and observed his girlfriend. She stood in the foyer, setting down her bag and removing her shoes. His eyes moved from her feet up to her beautiful face. Her eyes flickered with happiness and she held a tired yet pleased smile. "You ready for dinner?" he said as he approached her and left a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Yes, I'm starved," she replied eagerly.

After dinner, Spencer summoned Freddy into his bedroom.

"What, Daddy?" she begged to know what was going on.

"You're sure you want Delani to be your mommy?" Spencer checked. Freddy nodded feverishly. "You think she'll like this?" Spencer asked, showing her the ring. Freddy gasped, then nodded again, and ran off down the hall.

"Delani!" she called.

"Yeah, baby," Delani replied as she knelt down in front of the child.

"Will you be my mommy?" the little girl asked. Delani was confused she stood up and lifted Freddy into her arms.

"Uh, of course, sweetie," she answered. Delani already considered the little girl her own. She had watch her grow and learn so much over the past four years and she was way too far gone to turn back now. Spencer finally surfaced from his bedroom, finding Delani and Freddy wrapped up in a tight hug.

"Since you already promised to be her mommy, will you be my wife?" He asked nervously. Delani quickly set Freddy down and fell into Spencer's arms.

"Yes, I'd love to," she sobbed. He pulled out the ring and slipped in on her hand. He set his hands on her hips and pulled her to him. He leaned in for a kiss. He pulled back as an interruption broke his path.

"Delani!" Freddy called for her attention again.

"Yes, sweetie," Delani responded, tearing her eyes away from Spencer.

"Come here, I want to show you something," Freddy said, running towards her room. Spencer followed slowly, entering the room just as Freddy held up the picture frame.

"These are my parents, they died, that's when Daddy promised to take care of me," she said. Spencer smiled. He approached Delani and wrapped his arm around her, placing a warm kiss behind her right ear.

"She knows?" Delani whispered.

"Yeah, I just told her today," Spencer whispered in return. Delani turned in his arms. She gently stroked his cheek.

"I am so proud of you," she beamed. Spencer dipped his head and met her lips with his.

"EWW, COOTIES!" Freddy squealed.

"Come here you little monster!" Spencer laughed, running after Freddy and tickling her senseless.


End file.
